--- title: "In the News: Wildfires and Oregon's Recreation Economy" description: An In the News update featuring news New York Times coverage of Oregon State University's Outdoor Recreation Economy Initiative. image: https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/mark-divier-J7NaP8mpLSY-unsplash.jpg --- [![site-logo](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/Oregon_State_University_Theme2019/Images/site-logo.png?width=190&name=site-logo.png "site-logo")](https://oregonstate.edu/) Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy [![Request Info](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/451937/cb0e82ac-cca7-42a5-8f7a-7d38664d3f6b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/451937/cb0e82ac-cca7-42a5-8f7a-7d38664d3f6b) ![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/Oregon_State_University_Theme2019/Images/Search.png) ![](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/Oregon_State_University_Theme2019/Images/search-close.png) ## In the News: Wildfires and Oregon's Recreation Economy ![Oregon's smoke-filled sky. Credit: mark divier on Unsplash](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hs-fs/hubfs/mark-divier-J7NaP8mpLSY-unsplash.jpg?width=300&name=mark-divier-J7NaP8mpLSY-unsplash.jpg) After struggling through nearly two weeks of devastating fires and a thick blanket of smoke, rains finally brought a measure of relief late last week. Now comes the work of grappling with the damage. This New York Times feature article, which draws from an interview with OREI executive director, Lee Davis, explores the impact of Oregon's natural resources economy. * * [New York Times:](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/19/us/fires-oregon-trees-timber.html?referringSource=articleShare) > *"The human toll of Oregon’s worst wildfires in a century has been substantial. Thousands of Oregonians have [lost their homes](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/17/us/fires-oregon-detroit.html) or businesses. Several perished or went missing in the firestorms. But in economic terms, the greatest damage to the state from the fires does not come from lost structures.* > > *It comes from the trees.* > > *Oregon’s economy remains deeply rooted in its forests. Though in recent decades the state’s reliance on natural resource extraction has shifted to jobs in human services and high technology, the woods are a cornerstone of Oregon’s lifestyle appeal to high-skilled workers from California and points east. And the timber industry, while diminished, still powers rural economies, along with travel and tourism to lakes, campgrounds and hiking trails through the majestic old-growth canopies."*                   ![Sarah Costello](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/OREI/sarah.jpeg) ### Written by [Sarah Costello](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/sarah-costello) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbcostello/) ### Media inquiries If your publication would like to feature a CORE program, student or instructor, please contact [Meredith Morrice](mailto:meredith.morrice@oregonstate.edu). ### Have a story idea? We'd love to hear about it. Help us highlight the work of CORE students, alumni, faculty, staff, or industry partners. [Send an email](mailto:meredith.morrice@oregonstate.edu) with story suggestions or any questions. ### Recent Posts ### Recent Posts ### View by Tag - [Outdoor Recreation Industry (22)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-recreation-industry) - [Inclusive Outdoors (13)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/inclusive-outdoors) - [Research (8)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/research) - [Outdoor Leadership Series (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-leadership-series) - [Outdoor Recreation Roundtable (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-recreation-roundtable) - [Business (5)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/business) - [In the news (4)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/in-the-news) - [Economy (3)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/economy) - [Outdoor Roundtable (3)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-roundtable) - [COVID-19 (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/covid-19) - [Event (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/event) - [Opinion (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/opinion) - [Professional Development (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/professional-development) - [non-credit education (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/non-credit-education) - [rural economies (2)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/rural-economies) - [2020 (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/2020) - [Outdoor Recreation Industyr (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/outdoor-recreation-industyr) - [Pilot Year (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/pilot-year) - [Wildfire (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/wildfire) - [Workforce Development (1)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/tag/workforce-development) [See all](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/in-the-news-covid-impact-on-outdoor-industry-0#) ### View by Author - [Sarah Costello (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/sarah-costello) - [Meredith Morrice (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/meredith-morrice) - [Ben Peterson (7)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/ben-peterson) - [Lee Davis (3)](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/author/lee-davis) ## Related Post #### [VF Foundation awards second grant to Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/vf-foundation-awards-second-grant-to-center-for-the-outdoor-recreation-economy) The VF Foundation awarded a second $150,000 grant to Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE). With a total of... #### [CORE partner Kristen Freaney launches Career School to help frustrated professionals](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/core-partner-kristen-freaney-launches-career-school-to-help-frustrated-professionals) As Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE) continues to grow, our team looks to industry partners and specialized... #### [CORE and ORR co-host webinar, share resources](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/core-and-orr-co-host-webinar-share-resources) Last month, Erin Gaines, Industry and Government Relations Strategist for Oregon State University’s Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy (CORE),... ![OSU_CtrOutdoorRecEconomy_horizontal_1C_W](https://blog.orei.oregonstate.edu/hubfs/OSU_CtrOutdoorRecEconomy_horizontal_1C_W.png "OSU_CtrOutdoorRecEconomy_horizontal_1C_W") #### Who We Are The Center for the Outdoor Recreation Economy is dedicated to advancing research and curriculum development, technical skills training and leadership programming for the U.S. outdoor industry. **[Learn more about our team](https://outdooreconomy.oregonstate.edu/orei-about-us-2).** **[Follow us on LinkedIn.](https://www.linkedin.com/company/osu-orei/)** #### Contact Us We'd love to hear from you. Contact us at [outdooreconomy@oregonstate.edu](mailto:outdooreconomy@oregonstate.edu). #### Privacy Policy [View OSU’s Division of Educational Ventures Privacy Policy](https://oregonstate.edu/official-web-disclaimer) © Oregon State University | All Rights Reserved